Self-defense and self-protection are an important priority for women.

The best way for women to fight back against crime is to prevent it from happening by avoiding being alone or being in badly lit areas. However, getting into such situations is sometimes inevitable.

Because of the many crimes that are committed against women—domestic violence, rape, sexual harassment and physical abuse—many martial arts schools provide self-defense classes specifically for women.

Key components generally include teaching students the proper mindset of being in a stressful confrontation, successful physical tactics like striking vital points and the importance of being aware of your surroundings.